Ginsburg wins nod for Scarsdale development

Developer Martin Ginsburg of Hawthorne hopes to succeed where other developers have failed over the post four decades - namely winning support from Scarsdale officials, and residents for a now mixed-use development in the heart of the village's downtown.

A committee of the village board of trustees last week selected Ginsburg Development Corp. from among seven developers that submitted proposals in October for a combination municipal garage, stores and apartments on Christie Place.

Ginsburg Development. has proposed transforming a 1.3-acre parking lot across from Metro-North Railroads Scarsdale station into a complex that will include 36 luxury condominiums for senior citizens, about 12,000 square feet of retail space, 383 parking spaces, a landscaped rooftop plaza, a police kiosk and public bathrooms.

The development will incorporate the Tudor architectural style prevalent in most of the downtown's other buildings.

"We are delighted to be selected to create an exciting now development in downtown Scarsdale," Ginsburg said in a written statement. "Throughout this process, we've worked hard craft a proposal that would allow the village to meet all of its goals. We are looking forward to this opportunity to partner with the village of Scarsdale."

Early in 2003 Scarsdale tried on its own, but failed, to build a 415space garage with some stores and a police substation, following opposition by residents and civic leaders who said the project was ugly and would draw too many cars into the downtown.

Three years earlier, developer Robert Kligerman proposed a mixed retail-office project for the Christie Place lot and a parcel across the street, without success. And in 1999, opposition sunk plans for 45 apartments and 40,000 square fed of retail shops on the two properties by American Premier Underwriters, successor to the Penn Central Railroad dud operated the railroad a generation before Metro-North.

Yet that track record of failure did not discourage Ginsburg Development mid six other developers from responding last October to a formal request for proposals issued by the village.

Ginsburg was among two finalists; the other was Hines Real Estate in Houston. Hines sought to build 54 senior housing units, 2,700 square feet of retail space, up to 450 parking spaces and a landscaped rooftop.

The other five interested developers were: LCOR Inc. of Berwyn, Pa., co-developer of the 500-unit Bank Street Commons apartment complex in downtown White Plains; The Development Team of Eastchester; a venture of Resheff Inc. and BRP Development Corp., both of New City; Jonathan Rose Companies L.L.C., which has offices in Katonah and New York City; and Mitchell C. Hochberg's Valhalla based WCI Spectrum Communities LLC.